Design+page+2

Thoughts on Veterans app (Debbie)


 * Design:** Have we answered these questions?

What is the product? **Veterans phone app. A phone app. for veterans who have been diagnosed with PTSD.**

Who will use it? **Veterans with PTSD**

What do users need? **Support from one another. Connecting.**

What challenges do we face? **Jonathan- Funding, Endorsement, testing prototype,....??????????**
 * Trey - Designing aestetic as well as technical functionality; branding; limitations of platform and device; working in a dispersed group.**

What activities does the product or service support, and how? **Jonathan- We talked about this at our Sunday meeting.**
 * Harmoni- connecting veterans who have been diagnosed with PTSD that have served in the same province (trey - in a secured space). These veterans are able to communicate through a personal IM system and/or discussion forums that are specific to that province. *Also see notes on the page- Sunday Nov. 13, 2011.**

What workflow provides the best way for users to accomplish their goals? **Harmoni- connecting with others in the way that they choose... either being productive and active in discussions or a lurker???**

What information do users need at each point in that process? **Jonathan stated in Summary (incorporate buzzwords)**
 * Harmoni- to first log in, users need a special code to access the app given to them by the person who has diagnosed them with PTSD. Users need to input their information at first log in.** ***Also see notes on the page- Sunday Nov. 13, 2011. Trey - user will also upload picture for their profile.**
 * We need a "story" ..both in flow of interaction and in visual/verbal input. This will be based on the final decision of the group about what the use will be able to and not to do.-Shawntel**

What information does the system need from users? **Jonathan stated. Harmoni- special access code, name, place of service, rank, branch of military.** ***Also see notes on the page- Sunday Nov. 13, 2011. Trey - photo. Input during communication with other online users.**

How will users move from one activity to another? **Jonathan- At the meeting on Sunday we discussed navigation. Harmoni- zoom into the map to access their province and discussion forum from there. A button for personal IM. A back button, a home button.** ***Also see notes on the page- Sunday Nov. 13, 2011. Trey - possibly a "help" button, a profile button to access user info and photo upload, possibly an invite button to invite users to private chat for small group discussion. Shawntel-see above-need to story board the flow of the experience to create the maximized experience.**

What things do veterans complain about or ask most often, and why? **Jonathan- In regards to what? Trey - ??**

How is functionality segmented and manifested? **Trey - Profile segment, Map segment, login segment, discussion thread segment, private chat segment. These are manifested as pages in the app. Shawntel-I wonder if we even need the map segment after the initial sign up because they will then be "logged" into a certain group or two. So, maybe after that, they just have a way to choose which "region group" chat they want to view?**

Do we need to interview future participants to uncover risks and assumptions on our part? Jonathan is our subject matter expert but the perspective of servicemen and women with military expertise may also be beneficial. Quantitative (surveys) or Qualitative (focus groups-individual interviews and observation) May give us insight into goals, environments, communication nees, and other important factors.- **Jonathan- This is a good point. Not sure how we would find a population of veterans to interview. Maybe we need to research this. Where can we get data?????? Shawntel-Paul suggested we all talk to vets and do informal interviews and use them as "consultants". That is hard for me...not that many vets in my circles in international teaching. I will shake the trees, though.**

Where do we want this to be in five years? **Jonathan- In five years I see the App serving the same purpose, but would like to see it being updated and revised on a regular basis so as to provide the best service possible to veterans. Shawntel-I'd like to see it expand into other groups and become a common tool in the tool kit of counselors working with people with PTS**

Persons and stories are the primary drivers of this app, but a vocabulary of design patterns and a solid grounding in principles are essential.
 * Shawntel-my new obsession User Experience Design....going to read read read about this and try to be able to add some depth of (novice) "expertise" to our final story board mock ups on this topic.**

Detailed design…how the product looks and works down to the contents of every list box and the colors of the pixels in every icon.
 * Shawntel- this is our "story board" phase....we'll do it in Jan.**

Do we need a system manager, call center agent, or an escalation agent or person that monitors users?- **Jonathan- We talked about this on Sunday. There will be an algorithm programmed to detect words which indicate the veteran is at risk. This will trigger a phone call to the user from a mental health professional.*****Also see notes on the page- Sunday Nov. 13, 2011. Trey - Are we sure this is the best solution? What are the technical needs to make this happen? Is a phone call necessary or maybe just a private chat invite to the user could be substituted instead or ???? other ideas.... Shawntel-Maybe the user is directed to the "help" page where we can have links to tools to help them and a "call button" to the helpline? Also a "message" is sent to alert someone assigned to monitor it at the VA. Whomever buys/adopts it will ultimately decide the level of intervention they want...so I think we should design in a reasonable option and then let them decide on the final tools.**

Visual designer: Graphic design fundamentals such as color, type, and layout.**Shawntel-colors- red, white, blue, type-something simple to reflect the "military" theme, layout=UXD our storyboard based on some of the concepts of that field (which is what I will be spending time on during Christmas break)**

Do we need an introductory page/link. Describing what the app was created for? **Harmoni- yes, I believe we stated that the logistical information will be presented at initial log in and set up.** ***Also see notes on the page- Sunday Nov. 13, 2011. Shawntel-also, we said that a lot of this can be included in the App store description**


 * Personas**

The persona description that represents each user type can include a name, a photo, set of goals (networking), maybe a narrative that covers mental model (key distinguishing factors among users), environment, skills, frustrations, attitudes, typical tasks, and any other factors that seem critical to understanding the behavior pattern (for therapist possibly). “Buzzwords” This allows the user to relate to one another in uniquely human ways.
 * Trey - Would this data be available to be seen by other users? Do we want the user to be able to control what information is seen if we include more than just the basics? Will users be able to make account changes including picture, password and other information once initially set up?**
 * Shawntel-Good questions Trey...I'd say yes, yes, yes =)**

Does our mapping facilitate the identification and verification of potential behavior patterns? **Trey - This will come into play once we begin desigining the actual look of the individual app pages ie button placement, navigation flow and intuitiveness. ( I am thinking behaviour patterns is pertaining to user behavior when using the app)**
 * Shawntel-UXD....def. is a important area**

Should we or could we put in a yes or no, or numbering system on a link for state of mind… example if the user feels suicidal.**Jonathan- Like the pain scale in a doctors office? Trey - or maybe just a button that says "chat with professional" who will then be able to communicate directly with the user to make a determination of their state of mind.(?) Shawntel-I like this....HHhmmm... like, you log in, then you "rate state of mind", then you go to chap page. Would your state of mind number show up by your name in the chat?**

Demographics: age, gender, ethnicity, photos, where user served, etc.- **Jonathan - Yes, as discussed on Sunday.**
 * *Also see notes on the page- Sunday Nov. 13, 2011.**


 * Requirements:**

Ability to enter text, see a list of messages, ability to turn off screen without turning off device, ability to see both e-mail and vice messages in a single place, along with the next event (icon), ability to auto-prioritize some messages based on simple criteria specified by users, as well as based on urgency indicated by the sender, ability to select a message from a visual list, ability to listen to voicemail, and ability to initiate various types of return communication directly from a message. **Trey - After discussion on Sunday I'm not sure how many of these are still relevant. Discussion in this area may be needed. Shawntel-yes, I think we narrowed these on Sunday to chat and messaging**


 * Critical Requirements**

Provide contact with others in similar circumstances **Trey - in a secured environment.**


 * Goals:** easy to use, **Trey - convenience, theraputic, user support, community**

data needs: such as e-mail messages or contacts. Attributes include subject, who sent it, when it was sent, who else was copied on it, and what action was taken in response. Design should account for data objects we would plan to add later, even if they’re not going to be available in a near-term release. **Harmoni- Would this be incorporated into the IM system that we discussed? Trey - no one mentioned email or sending messages. My latest understanding was that we were using a rolling comment window (not a thread based forum) with the ability to IM a single user or in small groups. Shawntel-I am with Trey....and our future growth we discussed was to expand to more options online, leaving the app simple**

functional needs: are the verbs that describe what users should be able to do with or to those objects. With an e-mail, for example, the user probably needs to be able to read it, delete it, keep it with other messages that are related in some way, respond to it, or share it with someone else. **Harmoni- I think that the IMs could be long lasting until the user decides to delete. The forums will have a time restraint on them.** ***Also see notes on the page- Sunday Nov. 13, 2011.**

constraints: The regulations with which the app must comply with **Shawntel-initially, programmer's time LOL, long run-maybe server space/speed**


 * Framework:**

The way the app should look and feel can influence its shape and behavior. Jonathan posted a sketch to work off. The sketch provides a visible expression of his thoughts that we can understand. It provides the major screen states, roughly what’s going on in each, and defining how users get from one to another. **Harmoni- Remember! We all discussed that we would each draw a sketch of the layout of the app and when we get together in Florida we could talk about this design and framework.** ***Also see notes on the page- Sunday Nov. 13, 2011. Trey - When we say "layout", are we referring to the actual look of the screens or the basic flow of the app parts? Shawntel-yes, like a story board of the user's experience**

We need to identify the size, shape, and relationships of major parts. Includes identifying a range of colors, materials, typefaces, and other visual language components that will convey the right experience attributes. We should ensure that of these parts together tell a coherent and compelling story that covers the most critical issues.

Generating ideas for the approximate form of the device, the size and orientation of any screen, and the input methods (such as a touch screen, physical buttons and knobs, and so forth). A platform (phone app)

Which is more important: instant ease of use or efficiency over time? Is the focus on performing a simple task or working with rich content? **Shawntel-I would say ease of use and simple task over rich content**


 * Ethics**

Psychological harm: hard to use products can make users feel frustrated and incompetent. Cold or overbearing visual design can make people feel less at ease.

Social harm: a system or service that doesn’t accommodate a range of physical, cognitive, economic, and educational needs can perpetuate injustice and inequality.

Good design is elegant and is usually the simplest complete solution. It is coherent, possessing an internal consistency that makes all the parts of the design seem to belong together.**Shawntel-I like that reminder "is usually the simplest complete solution"**

Portrait screen- is better for scrolling through a directory on contacts…how does that work for the other links?**Shawntel-I think that it is best for threads of discussion as well**

Toolbar across the top. If you place the cursor on icon does it or will it have a drop down list. Example: e-mails- inbox, unread, starred for importance. Can it be placed in a folder? **Shawntel-we can address that in our story boards and come to a consensus after hearing everyone's thoughts on the experience**